Container



C. H. TURPIN Nov. 2, 1965 CONTAINER Filed NOV. 29, 1963 R/ 7 my w W U United States Patent Oifice 3,215,335 Patented Nov. 2, 1965 3,215,335 CONTAINER Charles H. Turpin, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to The Pillsbury Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 333,250 6 Claims. (Cl. 229-66) This invention relates to an improved, sift-resistant, easy-opening container.

In the packaging of flour, sugar, coffee, and other finely divided (smaller than 40 mesh, U.S. sieve series), pulverulent material use is frequently made of a bag, carton or envelope. The nature of the product requires a container with nearly an airtight closure to prevent sifting or leakage and the nature of the consumer demands that the closure be simply opened. The prior art has disclosed many containers and closure means but none provide the advantages of the invention disclosed herein.

Swift (US. 2,000,797) discloses a severed tear string capable of being pulled by either end to completely or partly open an envelope. He does not disclose a closure means but merely a method of creating an opening where none existed before and, moreover, his invention would not prevent sifting or leakage of finely divided material. Levy (U.S. 912,140) and Meadows (U S. 824,878) are comparable to Swift. Each discloses a method of creating an opening, each exposes part of a tear member for accessibility, but neither could be employed to provide a sift-resistant or leak-proof closure. Saignier (US. 2,000,665), Dense et al. (US. 2,321,066) and Roden (US. 1,032,026) each disclose tear members used in conjunction with tape members but none discloses a siftresistant closure capable of being opened a predetermined distance to form a pour spout.

Accordingly, the invention has among its objects, to provide a container having a sift-resistant closure that is easily opened, to provide a container having a sift-resistant closure capable of complete or controlled partial opening, and to provide a closure means that completely seals a slit opening thereby making it sift-resistant to finely divided packaged material.

Each of the objects is fulfilled in the preferred embodiment which appears isometrically in FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 1. FIGURE 4 is an isometric view showing a folding step which, though unnecessary, may be employed. FIGURE 5 is an isometric view showing a variation in the formation of a starting tab.

The invention relates to containers that have openings that are or may be reduced to slits where a portion of the container adjacent one side of the slit is in contact with a portion of the container adjacent the other side. The slit comprises an elongated opening as can be clearly seen at 11 in FIGURE 1 defined by contiguous abutting marginal edge portions of the container material. In the case of a bag or carton the opening at the outset may be four sided but, by folding, it may be reduced to a slit. Containers of envelope construction, on the other hand, require no additional folding to reduce the opening to a slit and allow immediate application of the invention.

To define the invention, use is made in the specification and claims of the term marginal edge portion. The term refers to the area of the container adjacent the slitopening. The area may vary considerably in width. A representative example of what is meant by the term appears in FIGURE 1. There the marginal edge portion includes that part of the container adjacent slit opening 11 bounded by the line Ila-11b and line 19. The invention relates to containers having marginal edge portions substantionally in contact.

The invention comprises a container of sheet material having marginal edge portions in contact; a notch, opening onto the slit opening, in the marginal edge portions; a tear member in registration with the slit and extending beyond it on at least one end; and a tape member extending in excess of the full length of the slit, folded about the tear member and adhered to the marginal edge portions, so as to completely cover the notch. The tape member is adhered to itself in the area of the notch and in the area that extends beyond the ends of the slit. The tear member is severed by a cut in the tape member. The cut lies within the area of the notch (i.e., no part of the cut touches the edge of the notch).

In the preferred embodiment of FIGURE 1, the opening of bag 10 has been reduced by folding to slit 11. Notch 12 opening onto slit 11 is cut into the marginal edge portions of bag 10 to depth 13. Tear member 14 extends along slit 11 and protrudes beyond the limits, 11a and 11b, of slit 11 at its ends 14a and 14b. Tape member 15 is equal in length to tear member 14 and is folded about tear member 14 and adhered securely to the marginal edge portions of bag 10 with tear member 14 in registration with slit 11 (see FIGURE 2). Tape member 15 completely covers notch 12 (i.e., its edge extends beyond depth 13) and is adhered to itself in the area of notch 12. Tape member 15 is also adhered to itself in the area beyond the limits of slit 11 at 15a and 15b. The areas in which tape member 15 is adhered to itself are cross-hatched on FIGURE 1. Cut 16 severs tear member 14 and tape member 15 in the area of notch 12 but does not reach to the edge of notch 12. In FIG- URE 3 it is apparent that cut 16 does not reach to depth 13 of notch 12 and that tape member 15 is adhered to itself in the area between cut 16 and depth 13 (see FIG- URE 3) and in the area on each side of cut 16 (see FIGURE 1). Cut 16 therefore does not lead to sifting. Cut 17 and 17a are not necessary but may be added to provide convenient starting tabs 15a and 15b.

The preferred embodiment of the closure is resistant to sifting and leakage and may be opened to form a pour spout by ripping tear member 14 through tape member 15 from 14b to cut 16. As an alternative, bag 10 may be completely opened by ripping tear member 14 from 14a to cut 16 as well as from 14b to cut 16.

Bag 10 may be comprised of any suitable sheet material impervious to the finely divided material contained in it. In the preferred embodiment a sheet of fifty pound and a sheet of forty pound bleached kraft paper duplexed comprise the sheet material from which the bag is formed. A non-heat sealable, greaseproof inner ply such as glassine (20-25 pound) may be used to package a greasy product such as a cake mix. Other sheet material that may be used includes foil, polyethylene, and any other material capable of being formed into a bag or envelope, having marginal edge portions in contact that is impervious to the finely divided packaged material.

Notch 12 may take various forms as long as it lies within the marginal edge portions and is a sufficient distance from one end of the slit opening to provide a convenient pour spout. In the case of a bag closure, such as appears in FIGURE 1 the notch should be inside fold line 18a which 'results when the bag opening is reduced by folding in the ordinary manner along lines 18a, 18b and 18c to form slit opening 11. In the case of a container of envelope construction the slit opening is naturally formedwithout folding by two sides of the container and the location of the notch is not so restricted.

Tear member 14 may be comprised of any suitable string or may be a tear tape. The preferred tear member is four ends of rayon thread laminated side by side to reduce the thickness to a minimum. The tear member must be in registration with the slit opening and must extend beyond the slit on at least one end.

Tape member 15 must be severable by tear member 14 and must be of sufficient width to cover the marginal edge portions to a depth in excess of depth 13. It must extend beyond the ends of slit opening 11 and be adhered to the marginal edge portions and to itself in the area represented by the notch, and in the area beyond the ends of the slit opening. Sixty pound blended kraft paper is used in the preferred embodiment.

Many adherents are suitable. Twenty-two and onehalf pound polyethylene lining the tape member and heat sealed to secure the tape member to the marginal edge portions and itself is used in the preferred embodiment.

Although unnecessary, the margial edge portions may be folded once in the region of the edge 150 of tape member 15 and, if desired, again at the lower limit 19 of the marginal edge portion to insure against breakage of the seal due to extremely rough handling. Where the bags are not subjected to dropping and severe impact, the folds are not necessary. Where only a fold along line 15c is used, the fold may be secured by removable adhering tape member 15 to the marginal edge portion in the area between lines 150 and 19. Prior to opening the fold is removed. Where two folds in the same direction are used, they may be secured by removably adhering tape member 15 to bag with adherent 20. The closure then appears as in FIGURE 4. The two folds, if used, need not be in the same direction (i.e., fold 19 may be accomplished in the opposite direction to that appearing in FIGURE 4 Which would expose tape member In FIGURE 4 a cross section of the folds would show both folds in the same direction (i.e., clockwise, if viewed as in FIG- URE 4) to cause tape member 15, after folding, to be covered by the marginal edge portions.

FIGURE 5 shows an alternative method of forming a convenient starting tab which may be used when ripping tear member 14 through tape member 15. Cut 17b completely severs tape member 15 but does not sever tear member 14.

I claim:

1. An improved, sift-resistant, easy-opening container comprising (a) a shipping container body formed from flexible sheet material to define an enclosed volume having an elongated opening defined by contiguous abutting marginal edge portions of said flexible sheet material, said marginal portions provided with a notch opening onto said opening;

(b) a tear member in registration with said slit extending the full length thereof and protruding from at least one end of said opening;

(c) a tape member folded about said tear member, and adhered to said marginal edge portions completely covering said notch, and adhered to itself in the area of said notch and beyond each end of said opening;

((1) said tape and tear member being severed in the area of said notch, the severed portion of said tape member lying completely within the area of said notch Within which said tape is adhered to itself and,

(e) finely divided material in said container.

2. .The container of claim 1 wherein said tear member extends beyond each end of said opening.

3.-The container of claim 1 wherein said contiguous marginal edge portions are removably secured in a folded position, the fold being substantially parallel to said opening.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein said contiguous marginal edge portions contain a first and second fold and are removably secured in a folded position; said folds being substantially parallel to said opening, said first fold lying at the lower limit of said contiguous marginal edge portions and said second fold lying between said first fold and said opening nearer said opening than said first fold.

5. The container of claim 2 wherein said tape member is weakened in the area beyond each end of said opening in which said tear member is adhered to itself to form starting tabs.

6. An improved, sift-resistant, easy-opening bag comprising (a) a bag body formed from sheet material to define an enclosed volume having an elongated opening defined by contiguous abutting marginal edge portions of said sheet material, said marginal portions provided with a notch opening onto said opening;

(b) a tear member in registration with said opening extending the full length thereof and protruding from both ends ofsaid opening;

(0) a tape member folded about said tear member, and adhered to said marginal edge portions completely covering said notch, and adhered to itself in the area of said notch and beyond each end of said opening and weakened in said area beyond each end of said opening to form starting tabs;

(d) said tape and tear member being severed in the area of said notch, the severed portion of said tape member lying completely within the area of said notch within which said tape is adhered to itself;

(c) said contiguous marginal edge portions containing a first and second fold and being removably secured in a folded position, said folds being substantially parallel to said opening, said first fold lying at the lower limit of said contiguous marginal edge portions and said second fold lying between said first fold and said opening, nearer said opening than said first fold and,

(f) finely divided material in said container.

2,923,457 2/60 Gerard 22966 3,057,539 10/62 Leary 229-86 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner, 

1. AN IMPROVED, SHIFT-RESISTANT, EASY-OPENING CONTAINER COMPRISING (A) A SHIPPING CONTAINER BODY FORMED FROM FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL TO DEFINE AN ENCLOSED VOLUME HAVING AN ELONGATED OPENING DEFINED BY CONTIGUOUS ABUTTING MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL, SAID MARGINAL PORTIONS PROVIDED WITH A NOTCH OPENING ONTO SAID OPENING; (B) A TEAR MEMBER IN REGISTRATION WITH SAID SLIT EXTENDING THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF AND PROTRUDING FROM AT LEAST ONE END OF SAID OPENING; (C) A TAPE MEMBER FOLDED ABOUT SAID TEAR MEMBER, AND ADHERED TO SAID MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS COMPLETELY COVERING SAID NOTCH, AND ADHERED TO ITSELF IN THE AREA OF SAID NOTCH AND BEYOND EACH END OF SAID OPENING; (D) SAID TAPE AND TEAR MEMBER BEING SEVERED IN THE AREA OF SAID NOTCH, THE SEVERED PORTION OF SAID TAPE MEMBER LYING COMPLETELY WITHIN THE AREA OF SAID NOTCH WHICH WHICH SAID TAPE IS ADHERED TO ITSELF AND, (E) FINELY DIVIDED MATERIAL IN SAID CONTAINER. 